People clean a street in Quy Nhon City in the south-central province of Binh Dinh after the storm on October 31, 2019. Photo: Huynh Hieu / Tuoi Tre

Tropical Storm Matmo made landfall and wreaked havoc on south-central Vietnam on Wednesday evening before weakening into a tropical depression on early Thursday morning.

The storm, the fifth to hit Vietnam this year, crossed onto the mainland between Binh Dinh and Phu Yen Provinces as it unleashed winds at 75 to 90 kilometers per hour and gusts at up to 130 km/h, according to the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

Heavy rains and strong winds lashed localities throughout the region on Wednesday evening.

According to the Phu Yen administration, Matmo caused power outages in 50 percent of the province’s communes and wards.

A large, uprooted tree in Quy Nhon. Photo: Huynh Hieu / Tuoi Tre

The locality was also at high risk of serious flooding due to the downpour.

The storm sank 18 fishing boats that had been docked at local ports. Fortunately, there were no casualties in the incidents.

In Ba To District, Quang Ngai Province, dozens of residents were evacuated to safer areas following a landslide caused by the storm.

About 300 students in the district were asked to stay at home on Thursday.

Rough seas caused four ships and their combined 48 crew members to drift out to sea despite being anchored just off the coast of Quy Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province.

In Binh Dinh, Quang Nam, and Da Nang, dozens of trees were uprooted as the storm swept through the province, though the wreckage in the latter two was much less as neither was directly hit by the storm.

Many sewers along the streets in Ho Chi Minh City have their entrances blocked by garbage on a regular basis, negatively impacting urban esthetics and the environment while helping cause serious flooding.

Despite the sweltering weather in Hanoi these days, many young people still flock to lotus ponds surrounding the capital city’s iconic Ho Tay (West Lake) to pose for Instgram-ready photos with a sea of blooming flowers.